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<\/a><\/p>\nThe difference is that in years past, coaches just threw whatever at the wall and hoped it would stick, because unsuccessful interference challenges didn\u2019t result in a minor penalty. Pair that with existing inconsistencies on what should or shouldn\u2019t count, and coaches were just throwing darts.<\/p>\n
In 2017-18, Jeff Blashill, then of the Detroit Red Wings, challenged a season-high 15 interference plays and went 5-for-15. The next year, he attempted another 12 challenges and only successfully overturned a call once. His minus-10 differential stands as the worst in a single season.<\/p>\n
But most mentalities and approaches<\/a> around these challenges have had to evolve because, starting in 2019-20, minor penalties were assessed for goaltender interference challenges as well. As coaches reined it in, win percentages came up to an average of .500 over the last six seasons \u2014 until this year.<\/p>\n Dan Muse\u2019s 0-for-9 record has something to do with that, after he unsuccessfully challenged seven goals and two disallowed goals in 73 Pittsburgh Penguins games this season. Adding insult to injury, the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Philadelphia Flyers and Colorado Avalanche have all had Penguins goals overturned for interference. Only one call this entire season has gone Pittsburgh\u2019s way, when the Boston Bruins challenged a Penguins goal that was upheld.<\/p>\n Frustration isn\u2019t just building up<\/a> in Pittsburgh, though; 15 other teams hold negative records for interference challenges. And that\u2019s spurring more conversation about it, even at the GM meetings<\/a> earlier in the month.<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to say records are down because coaching staffs are taking leaps in desperate situations, with so many tight playoff races around the league. But sometimes, even the most seemingly misguided challenges get rewarded with an overturned call.<\/p>\n It all comes down to the same issues that came up years ago: Unlike offside plays, the rules aren\u2019t black and white, and neither is the application, which has led to inconsistencies across the board \u2014 even on plays that happen days or hours apart.<\/p>\n Look at this Penguins failed challenge on Saturday, March 21:<\/p>\n To this successful challenge by the Columbus Blue Jackets the very next day:<\/p>\n The stakes are only getting higher from here, making every interference challenge and officiating decision all the more important. Except coaches have even worse records in the playoffs for interference. Between 2020 and 2024, coaching staffs were only successful between one quarter and one third of the time. Last year, teams went 0-for-4 combined in the postseason.<\/p>\n While some decisions to challenge a play, like Jim Hiller\u2019s Game 3 lost challenge<\/a> against the Edmonton Oilers, were more controversial than the result itself, the overall track record in playoff situations is still concerning. There have already been far too many potentially game-changing<\/a> and series-altering<\/a> instances over the years. But without root changes, this postseason is bound to have more goalie interference drama for the 10th straight year, if this regular season is any indication of where things are trending.<\/p>\n Has Vegas run out of luck?<\/p>\n Whenever a team changes coaches, the first thing to look for is its goalie numbers. The Vegas Golden Knights have a combined .862 save percentage in 17 games since the Olympic break in all situations, which ranks 30th in the league; the team\u2019s season-wide metrics aren\u2019t much better.<\/p>\n Goaltending is unquestionably Vegas\u2019 Achilles heel this season. Adin Hill has allowed 9.6 goals above expected in 25 games, which ranks third-last in the league. The Carter Hart experiment has been an abject failure, and Akira Schmid has had ups and downs all season long.<\/p>\n Those goalie woes are even more glaring 1) when the team allows a lot of early goals and spends time trailing, and 2) doesn\u2019t have goal support to outpace that.<\/p>\n It\u2019s not for a lack of trying. The team is rocking a 56 percent xG rate since the Olympics, which ranks fourth in the league. It just isn\u2019t enough to overcome shooting at a league-low seven percent, which has suppressed Vegas\u2019 five-on-five scoring to just 1.92 goals per 60.<\/p>\n Poor puck luck is undoubtedly part of the problem, but two things can be true: This team hasn\u2019t played up to the strengths of its roster under Bruce Cassidy this year.<\/p>\n The team\u2019s breakouts haven\u2019t been as clean or efficient, which has limited some of this roster\u2019s rush-based strengths. The forecheck hasn\u2019t been as strong, either. And there have been some individual setbacks on top of it \u2014 from Rasmus Andersson, who hasn\u2019t fit seamlessly into the lineup, to Noah Hanifin, who has struggled to fill Alex Pietrangelo\u2019s shoes. Tomas Hertl hasn\u2019t been enough of a five-on-five threat, either.<\/p>\n Just reaching the playoffs isn\u2019t enough for a team that\u2019s mortgaged so much in this window of contention \u2014 especially when considering the competition in the Pacific. So while eight games of John Tortorella behind the bench won\u2019t be enough to overhaul the team\u2019s systems before the postseason, some tactical tweaks and a change in voice could give this team a spark, and ultimately buy time to keep adjusting on the fly.<\/p>\n The Blues have joined the pillow fight<\/p>\n As much as Vegas has struggled this year, the other Pacific Division teams in the race don\u2019t have the juice. The Los Angeles Kings, Seattle Kraken and San Jose Sharks are all still right in the mix, but not one team has momentum right now. That has opened the door to some surprising Central Division teams jumping into the thick of it \u2014 the Nashville Predators, Winnipeg Jets and even the St. Louis Blues.<\/p>\n At the Olympic break, St. Louis was second-last in the league with 49 points, 14 back from the second wild-card in the West. But once again, this team has found its footing after a February break.<\/p>\n The Blues are 11-3-2 since the Olympics, with 24 points in 15 games. A few things are behind that turnaround. It starts with goaltending, which was a real weak link in the first half of the season. Joel Hofer, in particular, has been outstanding<\/a> and given his team a chance to win with nine straight quality starts since the break, which add up to 17.3 goals saved above expected.<\/p>\n In front of the blue paint, St. Louis\u2019 goalies have had more support against the rush at five-on-five. The top line is also absolutely cooking, with Robert Thomas, Dylan Holloway and Jimmy Snuggerud outscoring opponents 10-0 since the Olympics with a 55.6 percent xG rate.<\/p>\n Between roster strength and the path ahead for both the Blues and the other teams in the playoff picture, the odds still aren\u2019t in St. Louis\u2019 favor<\/a> \u2014 even less so after losing in regulation to the Sharks, who are\u00a0also in the playoff race.\u00a0But the Blues have officially given themselves a chance to make it after surging up the standings in the last month-plus of action.<\/p>\n Karlsson\u2019s March heater<\/p>\n Through all the ups, downs, and defensive warts, Erik Karlsson is still such a special offensive threat. His play in March is a prime example of that; his nine goals and 24 points in 16 games rank third, behind only Nikita Kucherov and Jack Hughes. Between Karlsson\u2019s shot volume and puck distribution, he has helped Pittsburgh control play throughout the month with a 54 percent xG rate heading into Monday night and a 20-12 scoring edge in his minutes. Without him, the team has been outscored 15-24.<\/p>\n Karlsson\u2019s turnaround actually started sooner than March 1; his average Game Score jumped from 0.75 in the early-goings of the season to 1.96 since New Year\u2019s. That has helped him raise his all-situations scoring pace to 2.22 points per 60, the third-best rate of his career.<\/p>\n The vision, craftiness and overall IQ are still there for Karlsson, who has emerged as one of the best five-on-five scoring chance generators in the league on the back end again, according to AllThreeZones\u2019 tracking. That possession game isn\u2019t just boosting Pittsburgh\u2019s offense, it\u2019s helping limit the danger against in his minutes relative to his teammates. It\u2019s the first time since 2018-19 where he has been a positive influence on both ends of the ice for his team.<\/p>\n Karlsson\u2019s resurgence has been clutch for Pittsburgh, especially with both Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin sidelined for stretches over the last month. He stepped up last week when Crosby left last Thursday\u2019s game against the Senators early. Despite being short-handed, Karlsson helped lead the Penguins to a 25-16 shot attempt advantage, 70 percent xG rate in his minutes, and 2-1 scoring edge while earning three primary points along the way.<\/p>\n If he can keep up this level, it should help the Penguins keep the magic going into the postseason.<\/p>\n Slafkovsk\u00fd\u2019s next level<\/p>\n It\u2019s been a big year for Juraj Slafkovsk\u00fd.<\/p>\n He already showed a ton of progress heading into the Olympic break. Thanks to an uptick in speed and learning to use his size and stretch to protect the puck further away from his body, he kicked his transition game up a notch. His shot-making and high-danger passing made him a more dynamic threat in the offensive zone, too.<\/p>\n Then he reminded the world what a star he can be as The Guy for Slovakia, with a team-high 26 scoring chances (per Dimitri Filipovic\u2019s tracking<\/a>) that stood out across the entire field. Slafkovsky has carried that momentum back to Montreal since returning to NHL action with an average Game Score of 1.69 over his last 14 games, after averaging 0.99 through his first 58 games this season.<\/p>\n It\u2019s important for a few reasons: in the short term, it should mean that Slafkovsky can help provide a second wave of offense behind Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, and Lane Hutson, who really carried the team down the stretch and into Round 1 last year. But in the grand scheme of things, Slafkovsky\u2019s continued improvement this season has raised the bar<\/a> for his long-term outlook \u2014 and that\u2019s a really encouraging sign for a team in the early stages of what should be a long window of contention.<\/p>\n Big Game Heiskanen<\/p>\n Miro Heiskanen is a stabilizer in Dallas. He has become a consistent source of all-around excellence, even against the best offensive players in the league. On top of strong two-way numbers despite his workload \u2014 a 54 percent xG rate and plus-13 goal differential \u2014 his scoring is on the rise this season.<\/p>\n Even if that isn\u2019t enough for Norris Trophy votes this year, because the bar keeps getting higher<\/a> in today\u2019s game, his presence should be a major strength for the Stars this spring. After missing the start of the playoffs last year, Heiskanen looks primed and ready to rip this time around \u2014 and his play against some Western Conference contenders in March may have been a preview of that.<\/p>\n Dallas has had to face Colorado and Vegas twice this month, along with games against the Oilers, Mammoth and Wild. That\u2019s meant head-to-head minutes versus the league\u2019s best for Heiskanen.<\/p>\n While Heiskanen won his minutes against Connor McDavid and the Oilers, along with Matt Boldy and the Wild, the Nathan MacKinnon matchup was more challenging. In about 19 combined five-on-five minutes between those two games between the Stars and the Avs, Colorado won the shot battle handily. But Heiskanen helped limit the damage of those shots, to keep scoring chances a little more even \u2014 and most importantly, the teams broke even in goals 1-1 during those minutes. Sometimes, it\u2019s impossible to outright stop a force like MacKinnon, but if the Stars\u2019 No. 1 can keep slowing him down, it bodes well for a potential Round 2 matchup after Heiskanen missed that matchup last year.<\/p>\n Bussi\u2019s March struggles<\/p>\n Brandon Bussi looked like the answer in net for the Carolina Hurricanes earlier this season. Heading into the break, he saved 17.3 goals above expected in 27 games, and gave his team a chance to win with 18 quality starts. But since returning to action, his play has slipped with six straight below-average starts, and a league-low GSAx of minus-7.16.<\/p>\n On paper, it\u2019s easy to say Bussi should be better behind Carolina\u2019s defense. The Hurricanes are a force in their own zone; they play a high-pressure game that suffocates opponents and insulates their goalies from being peppered with shots against. The Canes are the stingiest team in shots against at five-on-five.<\/p>\n But playing behind that workload comes with its own set of challenges. It requires a different level of readiness from a goaltender, because sometimes, the shots are few and far between \u2014 as the chart from HockeyViz below helps illustrate.<\/p>\n While the Canucks and Blackhawks goalies are bombarded with high-danger chances, the Canes have more gaps between shots. And when those attempts do sneak through, they tend to be of higher quality. So while it\u2019s easy to say Bussi needs to be better because he has a lot of support, maintaining a high level behind that defense can be tricky.<\/p>\n Zibanejad\u2019s resurgence<\/p>\n Through all of the chaos in New York, there is one positive takeaway for the Rangers: Mika Zibanejad is back.<\/p>\n His game had trended in the wrong direction over the last few years \u2014 first, the play-driving started to slip, and then the scoring went with it. He was deferring to his teammates too often, instead of leaning on his best weapon: his dangerous right-handed shot.<\/p>\n This year, he has picked up the pace across the board. Zibanejad has been sound defensively despite playing tough minutes in a miserable environment. And his offense has finally become a difference-maker again; he has shot the puck more often and efficiently, by driving closer to the net and connecting more often with 68.5 percent of his attempts going on goal (compared to 59 percent last year).<\/p>\n The fact he is doing this at his natural position of center, after New York experimented with him on the wing last year, is even more encouraging. If this level can be Zibanejad\u2019s new normal again, it should help the Rangers turn things around next year.<\/p>\n March Stars<\/p>\n Nikita Kucherov has been on an absolute tear since mid-November. After another strong month of play, he has only strengthened his case for the Art Ross and Hart Trophies.<\/p>\n Matthew Schaefer\u2019s incredible rookie run earns him the second star of the month. He has been an outright game-changer on Long Island with his two-way growth, while logging a heavy workload (and playing over 25 minutes eight times in 14 games in March) and playing his off side for a few games when needed.<\/p>\n Thomas and Hofer both deserve stick taps for their play in March. So does Jeremy Swayman for his difference-making play for the Bruins to keep them in the playoff race. But this month, Lane Hutson gets the honors for some stellar play on both ends of the ice in Montreal.<\/p>\n Data via Evolving-Hockey<\/a>, HockeyViz<\/a>, HockeyStatCards<\/a>, All Three Zones<\/a>, Dom Luszczyszyn\u00a0and Natural Stat Trick. <\/a>This story relies on shot-based metrics; here is a primer<\/a> on these numbers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Death, taxes, and controversies around goalie interference.\u00a0 The latter has become inevitable in the NHL, especially this year.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":533476,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[463,464],"tags":[5,4,60,14,104,718],"class_list":{"0":"post-533475","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl-playoffs","8":"category-stanley-cup-playoffs","9":"tag-hockey","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-nhl-playoffs","12":"tag-stanley-cup","13":"tag-stanley-cup-playoffs","14":"tag-stanley-cup-playoffs-nhl"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116325806226849917","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=533475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/533475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/533476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=533475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=533475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=533475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\n